MEC chairperson Justice Mtalimanja to lead SADC’s Electoral Commissions Forum on observer mission to Zambia’s 2026 General Election

* As a technical and peer mission, Mtalimanja’s delegation will observe key stages of the electoral process, including campaign, polling and counting of votes and the immediate post-election period

* The observer mission is expected to comprise chairpersons, election commissioners and senior election officials drawn from 10 ECF-SADC member electoral commissions

* Namely Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe

By Duncan Mlanjira

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson, Justice Annabel Mtalimanja will lead the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF-SADC) Election Observer Mission to the Republic of Zambia’s 2026 General Election scheduled for August 13.

In a statement, MEC’s Director-Media & Public Relations, Sangwani Mwafulirwa indicates that the technical and peer observer mission’s period is from August 5-16 to observe key stages of the electoral process — including campaign, polling and counting of votes as well as the immediate post-election period.

The observer mission is expected to comprise chairpersons, election commissioners and senior election officials drawn from 10 ECF-SADC member electoral commissions.

They are from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.

The statement says, Mtalimanja’s leadership of the observer mission “reflects the confidence that ECF-SADC member electoral commissions have in MEC”.

It also reaffirms MEC’s “growing contribution to strengthening democratic governance and advancing electoral integrity across the SADC region”.

“Prior to the deployment of the full observer mission, Justice Mtalimanja also led an ECF-SADC pre-election assessment mission to Zambia from May 17-22, 2026.

“The pre-election assessment mission was aimed at assessing the preparedness of the Electoral Commission of Zambia to conduct credible elections and to assess if the pre-electoral environment was conducive to a credible and transparent election.”

Last month, Malawi — through Mtalimanja’s predecessor, Justice Dr. Chifundo Kachale — was also engaged by the ECF-SADC to speak at the 13th New Commissioners Orientation Programme hosted by the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa in Johannesburg from June 3-5.

This is a testament of the trust in Malawi’s independence in electoral processes that is held by the ECF-SADC — which was constituted in July 1998 and has played a crucial role in promoting free, fair, and credible elections within the region.

The legal entity is committed to promoting best practices in electoral management, facilitating information exchange among electoral commissions, and advocating for electoral reforms to enhance democracy in the region.

Meanwhile, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) launched its role last week in Zambia’s elections.

A report by the EU-EOM website says the mission, led by Chief Observer, Michael McNamara — a Member of the European Parliament from Ireland — was invited by Zambia’s government to observe the general elections.

The report indicates that this is the sixth EU EOM to Zambia since 2001 and McNamara is quoted as saying: “Zambia has a well-established history of democracy, beginning with the landmark elections of 1991.

“Zambians’ right to freely choose those who govern them is both enshrined in their Constitution and entrenched in their political tradition.

“These elections are an opportunity to build on that proud record. In four weeks’ time, millions of Zambians across all 10 provinces will make their choices at the ballot box. It is an honour to be here to witness this important democratic moment.”